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Chapter 24
Giggles erupted through the room as Eloise and Fenella took their tea in the parlor. Eloise awoke in a remarkable mood, her stomach no longer dropping with negative reflections as happiness had gripped her tightly, refusing to let go. And it was most certainly because of Simon.
There are other things on my mind now Ellie; I’m unsure if promiscuous endeavors could ever satisfy these…new desires.
His words last night were more than just unexpected. Simon Crawford and promiscuous were always uttered in the same sentence but with a different connotation, so this was more than confusing for him to say. She couldn’t understand his sudden shift no matter how hard she struggled to. Needless to say, it satisfied her. For some obscure reason, every single time she thought of Simon running off to a brothel, an icy feeling stabbed at her heart, and her limbs stiffened with worry. Was it jealousy? Perhaps. But did it make sense?
“Milady, you seem so excited today. Did something happen?”
Eloise blankly gazed onward in the bright parlor room, crimson spreading across her cheeks.
“Oh, it’s nothing, really. I just had the most…wonderful of dreams.” She smiled to herself at the thought of how ambiguous that must have sounded. “Why don’t you tell me about your second date? What happened with Gregory?”
It was Fenella’s turn to blush. Taking a sip from her heavy flavored tea, she finally spoke, “It was…oh, milady, it’s so hard to place into words! He prepared everything just for me. He asked the other servants about my favorite food and favorite flowers, and he was being so careful and caring. We, uh…” Fenella paused, twirling the spoon on her tea. “He said he has strong feelings for me.”
Eloise was happy for her new friend. She’d never had any close friends she could talk openly to like this; Kate was the closest to it, but it was different. Kate was in her own world, and she rarely trusted Eloise with more information than she would trust a common maid, so this experience with Fenella felt unique in its own accord.
“Oh my. Go on.”
“Well, at first, he started stammering from nervousness, and I did the same. But then, after a few minutes, we sat down and ate together. We spoke about our childhoods, our dreams, and how we both find fate a funny thing. I know it sounds ridiculous, milady, but,” Fenella paused, “it seems like a game of luck. If I hadn’t ended up an orphan, and if I hadn’t ended up in the orphanage, and if I hadn’t ended up here…There are so many possibilities.”
Eloise reflected on the maid’s words. Her situation was similar in many ways, though more favorable than Fenella’s. If Eloise hadn’t lost her parents, she wouldn’t be here. If she hadn’t had a neglectful family, she also wouldn’t end up here alone. It was an interesting way to turn any diabolical experience into a dreamy, happy one.
“You deserve all of this and more, Fenella. I mean it.”
A knock on the door broke their conversation apart temporarily, and Eloise waited patiently for the intruder to enter. As it creaked open, it beheld the sight of Sally, her black hair messy under her brown bonnet, and her work gown stained with water and milk.
“Sally?” Fenella asked. “What are you doing here? What about the kitchen?”
Sally waved a hand. “Oh, most of the tasks have been stalled these days, so there isn’t much to do. I was looking for you, in fact,” she said, “Gregory is searching for you.”
Fenella smiled, looking at Eloise as if asking for permission to exit. But that wasn’t needed. “Go. But you better tell me what happens!” The two of them giggled between each other.
Fenella picked up her skirts, thanked the both of them, and exited outside the room in a hurry. If her steps had moved any quicker, she would be running.
“Oh, and Lady Ellie,” Sally started, “I know you were looking for Walter, so I thought I should tell you he’s just left for the stables. You might catch him if you’re quick enough.”
“Thank you,” Eloise replied.
The door swayed shut as Sally disappeared, leaving Eloise alone in her thoughts and with the cold tea in front of her. She placed the biscuit plates and teacups on the metal tray—in an effort to aid the maids once they were to do their work—and decided she, too, had stalled long enough. It was time to find Walter.
Only this time, it was for a different reason. All she would do was make it clear she wasn’t interested in escaping anymore. She wished to savor her time here as much as possible, and she could only hope and pray that a thousand more storms would hit before she would have to leave this place, perhaps forever.
As afternoon approached, a patch of gray clouds had hovered over the countryside and drowned out the sun’s rays, bringing with them a fresh trail of hail, and worry inside the Castle walls. Eloise continued making her way to the back of the Castle, descending a tiny staircase that led to the veranda door. She was told Walter would be at the stables, and after Simon’s surprise last night, she knew perfectly well how to navigate to them.
Her pulse throbbed at the reminder of what had happened between the two of them. Having Simon’s company was a luxury at a time like this, yet she wished for it nonetheless. After all, it could be days, weeks, perhaps even months, before she would see him again once she returned to Lyndon Estate back in London. But it was selfish; he was most certainly busy dealing with his ownproblems as of now, so she would just busy herself with other tasks in the meanwhile.
She reached the heavy wood door as it stretched out meters high, into the ceiling, and even more meters wide. With overwhelming force, she pushed it open slightly, revealing the snowy backdrop of the gardens. It was storming again. But it wasn’t like last time, no, this was crueler and harsher as it bent the trees and huffed around the Castle with little respite. The stables had completely vanished under its thick white veil, and Eloise’s eyes widened as she pinpointed the sight of a dark figure, pushing toward her, from far out back.
It moved with unstable swiveling steps, struggling to reach the Castle, until it fell to the snowy blanket, quickly vanishing beneath its velveteen surface. Eloise’s lips drew apart at the sight. There was no doubt in her mind this was Mister Walter.
She didn’t hesitate, nor did she waste any time. She heaved the door open with all her force and rushed forward in his vague direction as swiftly as her sluggish steps would allow her. The cold was punishing, and she was only dressed in a thin gown.
“Mister Walter!” she screamed out, her lungs burning from the freezing inhales. “Mister Walter, can you hear me?”
The storm heightened, the blizzard cascading before her eyes and forcing her to keep them shut tight momentarily. It was unrelenting. Her whole body trembled as it struggled to control the burning feeling on her skin and her feet and hands felt numb to the touch. But she knew that Mister Walter would face a worse fate if she didn’t act quickly.
“Mister Walter!” she screamed louder this time.
